West Springfield Vs. Burke (Herndon, Fairfax: neighborhood, movie theater, university)

[newbie13cit]

I like both because both have good schools. However, personally, I prefer the tranquility of Burke. I like going home to a quiet neighborhood. Springfield traffic doesn't give me that calmness. Since Burke is next to West Springfield, I can always go there for all the amenities.

[Fredesch]

I live in the Kings Park neighborhood which the post office calls West Springfield zip 22151. If you cross Rolling Rd you will be in Burke. And if you cross Braddock Rd you will be in Annandale. My only point is the area is solid suburbs and you really can't tell where one area ends and another begins. There are several homes in my neighborhood in your price range. In our area and a bit farther west feed Lake Braddock Secondary School. A bit father west than that and they feed Robinson HS. If you go South, they feed West Springfield HS. From our neighborhood there is a VRE station about a half mile away and the 17 series express busses have several stops in the neighborhood. We are about 2 miles from the Braddock Rd 495 exit.

The West Springfield/Burke areas have lots of grocery stores, drug stores, restaurants, dentists and medical buildings and things like that. In the older areas you will see more diversity in the shops, in the newer areas you will have more chain restaurants and Annandale has the metro areas Koreatown. In general all the surrounding areas sound like a Prairie Home Companion description - all the schools are superior, the restaurants are average and the shopping is boring. I suggest you look for the easiest commute as a lot of the neighborhoods are interchangeable.

[KittyTwoShoes]

I wouldn't live too close to the mixing bowl area near Springfield, but both areas are fine. I grew up in Burke Center, and while I know many people who would love to move back there, I didn't particularly enjoy my time growing up there. West Springfield and Braddock are both very good high schools, but it's very easy to get lost, as they are very high in student population.

[Vectorhead]

Originally Posted by KittyTwoShoes

West Springfield and Braddock are both very good high schools, but it's very easy to get lost, as they are very high in student population.

I agree that both are excellent schools but they are completely different in terms of population. Lake Braddock is a secondary school (grades 7-12) and I believe has a total population of around 3500 students. West Springfield has about 2000 students.

Personally I'm glad we decided on West Springfield. We're less than 10 minutes from the metro and the VRE, making it significantly quicker to get into DC. We have access to more shopping (Kingstowne is less than 15 minutes away, and the Springfield Mall is due to reopen in a few months) and movie theaters. But Burke is also very nice.

[JD984]

West Springfield had 2265 students in the fall of 2013. Lake Braddock had 2657 students in grades 9-12 and 1386 in grades 7-8, so the total secondary school enrollment was slightly over 4000. Lake Braddock currently is in better physical condition than West Springfield, which is coming up for a renovation in the next five years or so. There was also recently an announcement that the West Springfield principal was being given an administrative job at FCPS headquarters, so the school will have a new principal this fall.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by airjay75

Well, my wife and I do not have children yet, so we are quite a ways from sending a child to HS. But, I was certainly concerned about schools when we bought our home and was hesitant about buying in the Lee HS pyramid. But, the more I have learned about the schools in Fairfax County, the less concerned I have become. I think just about any HS in Fairfax County is going to have a wide variety of options for both motivated students and not so motivated students. The average test scores at a school like Lee might be lower than other schools, but that doesn't mean there aren't the opportunities there for motivated students to excel if they want to. Plus the neighbors I have gotten to know who have sent their kids to Lee seem to only have good things to say about it. So, for those children we might have some day and might attend Lee, I'm not really that worried . Of course, assuming we have kids and stay here until then, things can change a great deal as well.

This. According to most people, my school in Manassas was "ghetto." However, I was an ambitious student with good parents, and I turned out pretty well. I graduated college Suma *** Laude and I seriously think my high school was more challenging than college.

Seriously, there aren't really any bad schools in Northern Virginia. Most people in this area have never seen what a bad school in an impoverished area looks like.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by gomason

This. According to most people, my school in Manassas was "ghetto." However, I was an ambitious student with good parents, and I turned out pretty well. I graduated college Suma *** Laude and I seriously think my high school was more challenging than college.

Seriously, there aren't really any bad schools in Northern Virginia. Most people in this area have never seen what a bad school in an impoverished area looks like.

There aren't any bad schools by say...DC standards. And I agree sometimes people in this area overthink it, like caring about Lake Braddock vs West Springfield. But there are some that struggle with more issues than others. A child can succeed anywhere, but don't you think parents would like to do research and put them in the best possible situation that they can afford to?

I mean when you go car shopping I doubt you just head to the closest dealership and pick one up. You probably do a ton of research even though literally ANY car that starts will get the job done. But people think parents should put less thought into where they want to send their kids to school?

[KittyTwoShoes]

I was a substitute and a teachers aide in FCPS a long while ago. I can tell you a LOT of the teachers care, even in low income population schools. What it really boils down to is the leadership and management of the school by the principal and the administration.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by gomason

This. According to most people, my school in Manassas was "ghetto." However, I was an ambitious student with good parents, and I turned out pretty well. I graduated college Suma *** Laude and I seriously think my high school was more challenging than college.

Seriously, there aren't really any bad schools in Northern Virginia. Most people in this area have never seen what a bad school in an impoverished area looks like.

Ha Jimmy Kimmel bit in real life.

[Mnseca]

Both are very nice. Right now parts of West Springfield seem to be "hot spots," attracting a lot of young, middle-income families, and thus a lot of family-oriented activities and amenities. But Burke is also very family friendly - just a bit more spread out and newer overall. You can find great neighborhoods in either one.